Question

   Try to imagine a world without noodles and you may begin to realize just how widespread this thin,tasty food has become. Discoveries in archaeology have proven it to be a surprisingly ancient food,dating back at least to 4000 B. C. Not surprisingly,however,given the noodle's widespread appeal and high status in more than a few culinary(烹任的) traditions,the claim to its invention is often a hotly contested subject.

   Many peoples have laid claim to its origination. Historically,both Italy and the Middle East have particularly battled for the title. Italian cooking is closely connected with the pasta noodle,but surprisingly the oldest recorded use of noodles in Italy only dates back to the 8th century,during the Arab conquest of Sicily,an island of Italy. This fact,along with the appearance of wheat flour in the Middle East around 5000 B. C., has led some to favor the Arab world as the more likely candidate to have first created noodles. However,recent evidence has cast some doubt on this theory,when the oldest known bowl of noodles was discovered in northwestern China.

   In 2002,a sealed bowl was unearthed from beneath ten feet of soil at the Lajia archaeological site,and found to contain a bowl of amazingly well-preserved noodles. After examination,scientists considered them to be about 4,000 years old. It was also determined that the noodles were not made of the wheat flour known at that time throughout the Middle East,but instead of two types of millet grain,which was widely grown tliroughout China as far back as 7,000 years ago.

   One of the most remarkable aspects of the find,however,as archaeochemist Patrick McGovern at the University of Pennsylvania points out,is the degree of skill required to fashion long,thin noodles like those found at Lajia. “This shows a fairly high level of food processing and culinary techniques,” he said.

   Although the Lajia discovery makes China home to the oldest known noodles,the origin of the noodle itself remains one of ancient history's many secrets.

29. There has been a worldwide debate over.

   A. what food is the oldest

   B. where the noodle was invented

   C. when the oldest food was discovered

   D. whether the noodle is the world's most popular food 

30. What can we conclude from Paragraph 2 ?

   A. Wheat flour may come from Sicily Island.

   B. People in the Arab world first made noodles.

   C. The first noodles were made in the 8th century.

   D. Italy is less likely to be the noodle's birthplace.

31. What can we learn about the noodles found in 2002?

   A. They were in good condition.

   B. They were made of wheat flour.

   C. They were made 7,000 years ago.

   D. They were discovered in the Middle East.

32. What did Patrick McGovern wonder at?

   A. The long history of the noodles.

   B. The unique way of storing food.

   C. The way the noodles were made.

   D. The value of the archaeological find.

Answer 1

29. B 30. D 31. A 32. C

(歷史)

本文是說明文.面條是何時(shí)出現(xiàn)的？中國西北的喇家遺址出土的面條或許是面條的“先祖”。

29. B.細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第一段的the claim to its invention is often a hotly contested subject和第二 段的 Many peoples have .laid claim., to ..its origination可知，國際上一直有關(guān)于面條起源于 何處的爭論。

30. D.辨理判斷題。根據(jù)第二段可知，意大利面條 的七現(xiàn)可能要比中東地區(qū)晚，因此意夫利不大 可能是面條的發(fā)源地。

31. A.細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第三段的abowlof amazingly well-preserved noodles 可知，面條保

存完好。

32. C.推理判斷題。根據(jù)第四段的the degree of skill …a fairly high level …techniques 可知， McGovern對(duì)這碗古面條的制作工藝表示驚嘆。